FRIDAY
Nov e mbe r 7, 2014 • $1 .0 0
SECTIONAL SUCCESS CL South girls volleyball beats C-G for title; Gators need one more win to make state semis / C1
CL South’s Carly Nolan
NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
HIGH
45 36 Complete forecast on page A8
Facebook.com/NWHerald
State bucks aging trend But many challenges face younger farming generation
LOW
@NWHerald
Huntley Amtrak station gets OK Village approves deal to build it By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Jean Schiller leads the last remaining Shamrock Beef Cattle Farm calf to the loading pen after the stock was sold to former McHenry County rancher Jim Berry’s Wildberry Farm in Hanover. BELOW: Vern Schiller and herding dog Rusty take a ride on the Shamrock Farm property on Draper Road near McHenry. Schiller, who has managed Shamrock Farm for years, and Rusty are now retired after the remaining cattle were trucked away on Wednesday. By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com At 14, Renee Bauman of Union had established her own work routine on her family’s multi-generational dairy farm. “Since then I’ve been milking every night by myself,” the now-18-year-old said. “After school, I come home, do night chores, the night milking, then do the barn chores – sweeping, feeding livestock, stuff like that.” With a passion for such work ingrained in her since childhood, Bauman’s current post-high school plans involve a farm and industry short course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then a trip back home to work on her family’s farm. If her future pans out the way she
sees it, Renee will become part of a growing group of farmers younger than 34 throughout Illinois. While the number of farmers younger than 34 has dropped slightly across the country, the number of young farmers statewide rose more than 7 percent from 4,696 in 2007 to 5,067 in 2012, according to figures provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Heather Obert, Renee’s adviser for Future Farmers of America at Marengo Community High School, said the statewide data seemed logical in some ways but surprising in others. “It starts to makes sense when you think about seeing some of the older generation retire. ... And I think the new technology in agriculture tends
See FARMERS, page A4
Voice your opinion: Would you encourage your child to pursue farming as a career? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
Online: View more photos and watch a video at NWHerald.com.
HUNTLEY – Area residents would start boarding Amtrak trains from downtown Huntley by late 2015, under a $3.55 million agreement with the state unanimously approved by the Village Board on Thursday. Huntley’s downtown station is a part of the state’s $223 million plan to restart Amtrak service between Chicago and Rockford for the first time since the early 1980s. Elgin and Bel- By the videre are the addi- numbers tional stops along the revived passenger $3.55 million: rail line. Total cost for The village has the new Amtried to secure a pastrak station senger rail station in Huntley. for decades, originally planning for $2.92 million: Amount a downtown Metra to be paid stop. A new Amtrak by Illinois station could drive Department additional traffic to of TransporHuntley and would tation for provide residents another option to visit construction Chicago, said Village work. Manager Dave John- $625,000: son. Amount to “We’ve been be paid by working with the IlHuntley for linois Department engineering of Transportation and architecfor months now to tural services. get this agreement ready for the board’s consideration,” Johnson told board members. “This is really the kickoff to the project.” The $3.55 million agreement makes the state transportation department responsible for $2.92 million in construction work. The village would contribute $625,000 for engineering and architectural services.
See AMTRAK, page A4
Rauner’s transition team includes several Democrats of advisers to a transition team Thursday that included two prominent Democrats, former White House chief of staff Bill By SOPHIA TAREEN Daley and former SouthThe Associated Press ern Illinois University President Glenn Posh- Bruce Rauner CHICAGO – In one of his first official ard. acts since being elected governor, ReThe team – which will help lay polpublican Bruce Rauner named dozens icy groundwork and determine who’ll
Governor-elect offers preview of his priorities
PREP FOOTBALL
be in Rauner’s cabinet once he takes office – also included former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, Caterpillar Inc. CEO Doug Oberhelman, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman and the Rev. James Meeks, one of the African-American ministers from Chicago who had supported his campaign. “We want to put together the most talented team of people ever assembled
in state government,” Rauner said. “They have tremendous networks of talented individuals that they can call upon.” Rauner addressed reporters for the first time since ousting Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in a close contest Tuesday. He’s the first Republican governor in Illinois in more than a decade.
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Auto Tech Center may move
Advice ..................................C6 Business Snapshot ...........A7 Buzz...................................... C8 Classified..........................E1-6 Comics .................................C7 Community ......................... B1 Local News.......................A2-7 Lottery..................................A2 Movies................................. C5 Nation&World.................... B5 Obituaries ...........................A7 Opinions ............................. B2 Puzzles ............................. E5-6 Sports...............................C1-4 State .................................B3-4 Weather ...............................A8
Longtime business proposes relocation to vacant lot on Route 14 in Crystal Lake / A3 STATE
Fracking rules approved
Battle-tested Marian Central hopes ESCC strength leads to long playoff run / C1
Illinois lawmakers sign off on long-awaited regulations for oil and gas drilling / B3
Illinois treasurer race still too close to call; both sides waiting on results of absentee, provisional ballots. PAGE B3
Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms!
815.923.2107 9923 2107 • www.fgmlaw.com
adno=0296538
Higher level of competition
See RAUNER, page A4
More election news